The American space agency NASA recently launched its powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on a test mission to fly around the moon.
The launch marked the first flight for SLS, which NASA describes as the most powerful rocket ever built. The project has faced years of delays and is running billions of dollars over budget.
Now that the rocket has launched and successfully deployed its spacecraft, we are taking a closer look at the mission NASA says is the first step in returning astronauts to the moon.
A view of Earth as seen from the Artemis I Orion capsule about 9 hours into flight on Nov. 16, 2022
Artemis
The SLS mission is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land Americans on the moon by the mid-2020s. It would be the first moon landing by astronauts since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The next crew to land on the moon is expected to include the first woman and the first person of color.
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Words in This Story
mission – n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task
mannequin – n. an artificial human form
thrust – n. upward push or force
constellation – adj. a grouping of stars
achievement – n. a thing that is completed successfully
diverse – adj. including many different kinds of something